Parnall Heck
The Parnall Heck was a 1930s British four-seat cabin monoplane built by Parnall Aircraft Limited at Yate, Gloucestershire. Originally a Hendy design, few were built. It combined the strength and comfort of a cabin aircraft with the speed of a racer.[1]
Design
The Heck was designed by Basil B. Henderson as a single-engined, conventional low-wing cabin monoplane, built of spruce with a plywood covering, initially with a two-seater in tandem layout. It had a manually operated retractable undercarriage, leading edge slats and slotted flaps, giving it good short-field performance in spite of its high wing loading compared to contemporary aircraft in this class.[2]
History
The type was originally designated the Hendy 3308 Heck, with the prototype built by the Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil. Registered G-ACTC, it first flew in July 1934.
Parnall Aircraft Limited was formed in May 1935 when George Parnall and Company merged with the Hendy Aircraft Company and the armament engineering firm Nash and Thompson Limited. The Heck was redesignated the Parnall Heck. A number of problems with the undercarriage led to it being locked down and covered with 'trouser' fairings. The aircraft set a new record for the flight from Cape Town to England of 6 days, 8 hours and 27 minutes in November 1936.
A small production line was started at Yate, Gloucestershire and the production version was designated the Heck 2C. The production aircraft were three-seaters with fixed spatted undercarriages. None of the aircraft was sold, and four (G-AEGH, G-AEGI, G-AEGJ and G-AEMR) were operated by Parnall Aircraft for communications and liaison with RAF squadrons on armament contracts. When the Second World War started, the aircraft were repainted from dark grey to a brown and green camouflage scheme.
The fifth production Heck 2C, registered G-AEGL, was flown as serial K8853 under contract 486334/36, and was used for trial installations of engines and armaments, including the development of the gun sight installation for the Spitfire and Hurricane. It was later allocated the M serial 3125M.
In March 1943, G-AEGH was impressed into service with the Royal Air Force as serial NF749 on communications and liaison duties.[3]
The Parnall 382 was a newly designed two-seat open cockpit trainer, with some Heck components to meet Air Ministry Specification T.1/37. It was flown in February 1939 and later assessed at Martlesham Heath as the Heck III, but was not ordered.
The last surviving Heck was G-AEGI that was damaged beyond repair in a taxying accident on 17 June 1950. The aircraft had just come 7th in the King's Cup Race at Wolverhampton's Pendeford airfield (with a speed of 159 mph) when a landing civil Supermarine Spitfire hit the rear of the Heck and demolished it.
Operators
Civil Operators
- Parnall Aircraft
Military Operators
Specifications (Heck 2C)
Data from British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972: Volume III [4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 26 ft 1½ in (7.96 m)
- Wingspan: 31 ft 6 in (9.60 m)
- Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
- Wing area: 105.2 ft² (9.78 m²)
- Empty weight: 1,750 lb (795 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 2,700 lb (1,227 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy Six inline piston engine, 200 hp (149 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 161 knots (185 mph, 298 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 135 knots (160 mph, 258 km/h)
- Range: 526 NM (605 miles, 974 km)
- Service ceiling: 16,700 ft (5,090 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s)
See also
- Related development
- Related lists
- List of aircraft of the RAF
Notes
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parnall Heck. |
- Jackson, A.J. (1988). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-818-6.
- Lukins, A.H. (1944). The Book of Westland Aircraft. Leicester: Harborough.
- Moss, Peter W. (1962). Impressments Log Volume III. UK: Air-Britain.
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